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Arsenal boss Emery praises Benitez´s legacy

Rafael Benitez remains the trailblazer for Spanish coaches in England and knows the Premier League "perfectly", according to Arsenal head coach Unai Emery.

Emery takes his side to face Benitez's Newcastle United, chasing a third consecutive win on Saturday.

It will be only the second time the compatriots have met during their coaching careers, with Emery steering Sevilla to a 3-2 win over Real Madrid during Benitez's brief and ill-fated stint as Santiago Bernabeu boss.

But in a Premier League where Pep Guardiola is the reigning champion, Benitez's exploits with Liverpool in the middle of the last decade plotted a path for his countrymen that Emery was keen to acknowledge ahead of his trip to St James' Park.

"He is the first Spanish coach who started working here, in 2004 I think," he told reporters.

"He has very big experience here, he knows perfectly the Premier League and every team

"He knew he best performance with a lot of teams – above all with Liverpool when he was the coach there.

"Now I know Benitez, he is a very, very competitive coach. His teams usually also are very competitive.

"Newcastle in their stadium are, with the supporters, very strong."

After Newcastle, Arsenal will turn their attentions towards the Europa League and an opening group fixture against Ukrainian Premier League side Vorskla Poltava.